The Icing on the Cake
by The Genius Mage
Summary: No BBS spoilers. Isa never forgot how he met Lea. The kid leaped through his second story window with angry men outside, after all. Isa and Lea friendship.


_~*The Icing on the Cake*~_

_He was childish, competitive, possibly mentally challenged, and above all else, _**BOLD...**_He liked him already._

_~***~_

Radiant Garden was exactly as Isa had always known it. Large, and beautiful, splendidly clean, tidy, and full of fresh air. The streets were crowded, the weather was mild, a cool breeze came from the Rising Falls and toned down the sun's warmth just a bit, and everything thrummed with life and energy. Most of the buildings were made out of white marble and alabaster, but there were a few red brick houses or wooden shop stables dotting the neighborhoods and markets. The bronze castle, with its many working gears that one could see thanks to the transparent glass on the side, worked constantly as it towered over the city. The clock within its highest tower tolled three times, each peal deep and thrumming with power, marking the exact point in the afternoon. Right on time.

Isa leaned back from his work thoughtfully, pressing his fingers together. His high collared blue jacket, imprinted on the left with a yellow crescent moon, seemed to be almost soaking in the sunlight. He shifted out of the golden rays unconsciously, drumming his fingers against the wood of the desk. The sunbeams hit his white pants instead, and the black shoes that accompanied them.

He had no idea why, but suddenly he couldn't concentrate on his work. Maybe he had some kind of six sense. _Maybe_ something had been wrong from the start. But to this day, Isa didn't regret looking away from the papers he had been examining.

Why? Because then he would've missed Lea's flying entrance.

Sharp exclamations sounded from outside, followed by a muffled swear, and unexpectedly, a boy catapulted through his open window and landed in an unceremonious heap on his woven black and white rug. Isa grimaced. That was from the _Land of Dragons_ for God's sake.

Before the astonished teen had a chance to speak, the boy sat up and pressed one thin, pale finger to his lips. Isa just blinked stupidly as the angry voices passed right by his window. His _second story_ window.

Once the relative silence had returned, Isa narrowed his eyes, staring harder at the weird and rather unwelcome newcomer.

The boy had a sleeveless orange jacket with a sleeveless white shirt underneath. The tan pants he wore were baggy, with red and white sneakers accompanied by black socks. His hair was brilliant red—a stark contrast to Isa's own blue—but styled upward in spikes, just like his own. Wrapped around his neck was a yellow and brown scarf, hanging in loose folds. He also bore a snarky, impish grin, with blue-green eyes that tilted more towards emerald than sapphire.

Isa took this all in quickly. He then sputtered in surprise, "W-What are you doing in my _room_?"

Laughing, the fire colored teen placed both hands on his hips and smirked. "Escaping the _chasers_, ya know?"

Blink. "Chasers?"

"Right. They don't like me, and therefore, they chase after me," clarified the boy.

"_Who_ don't like you?"

"The chasers."

"But who _are_ they?"

"People that don't like me."

Isa gritted his teeth as his companion snickered. "Okay. Fine." He said coolly. "Leave then, if they're gone."

"But they might not be. Do you _want_ this handsome mug smashed to a pulp?" The boy tapped his face, which had a slight feminine hint to the bone structure, with sharp angles like a cat.

An eyebrow was raised. "Why would I shelter someone whom has enemies capable of smashing a face?"

"Good point," admitted the flame haired teen. "But c'mon, be a rebel. Just for a bit. I won't mess up anything."

Isa thought about it, leaning back in his dark burgundy swivel chair. "Alright, but only if you answer some questions." Knowing it would be pointless to ask the boy who the "chasers" were exactly, he asked instead, "What's your name?"

Tapping the side of his head, smile widening, he replied with a cheery, "The name's Lea, got it memorized?"

"It's memorized. Mine is Isa."

"Is it really? You're one of those dormitory kids aren't ya?" Without waiting for a reply, Lea looked around the room. "Snazzy set up, for vile parents shipping their kids away to school."

Isa glanced at the place he called home. On the second story of the Observatory—_Lea must have made an impressive leap to get this high_—the rooms for the students were set up. The third floor had some also. They looked mostly the same, with deep red walls and black carpet, the kind of dark contemporary colors one would expect from a boarding school with all of the elegant gold furnishings to match. Then he recalled Lea's recent comment about parents and kids and what not.

"My parents are dead," he snapped coldly.

The playful light in Lea's eyes died instantly. He rubbed at the back of his hair. "Oh. I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean it like that."

Looking at him for a long time, Isa tried to judge if the boy was telling the truth. At last, he nodded. "No harm done. It was a long time ago." Turning back around in his chair, he stared without really seeing at his various class papers.

Lea came over without him noticing, until he spoke that is. "So, what's this stuff about?"

"It's over your head," Isa answered somewhat haughtily.

Scoffing, Lea snatched a paper—delicately—and Isa watched as his quick eyes roved over the neat lines of text. "Not that hard. You're studying astronomy and the power of the moon and stars and stuff."

"'And stuff'? Like I said, over your head." Isa took the sheet back from the boy's fingers, and the redhead let it go without fuss.

"Tch, well, be that way. I'm not a total moron, y'know."

Isa turned slightly in his chair, scanning his own notes absently.

"I know the full moon gives more power than a crescent moon, to some people," Lea went on.

Turning back to him in surprise, Isa inquired casually, "And how do you figure that?"

"Common sense. Creeps and goons and monsters come out on full moons. Are all of you Observatory bunch really werewolves?"

Despite himself, he laughed a little. There was something about this boy that was irresistible, a friendly charm, like charisma, that pulled you towards him. "No, but that would be interesting, wouldn't it?"

"Aw. No fun. Any vampires?"

Isa pondered that. "There was a foreign teacher here once that taught a one-time class…" He smiled at Lea's stunned look.

"Really? No fooling?"

"I'm not kidding."

"I'll commit _that_ to memory, then. Vampires and real. Maybe werewolves are too. Okay, Observatory kid Isa, we're heading out!" Lea started back to the window and perched on the sill nonchalantly.

"What?" Isa said blankly. He looked from the open window, with the low tree beneath it, to Lea, with his face split apart thanks to a huge fanged grin.

"C'mon, I know a great spot that I think you'll enjoy. I'll pay for the food. Even if you're studying, everyone needs a break, am I right?" Again, not waiting for a reply, he plowed on. "There's something about you that I like. We'll just _click_," he snapped his fingers. "I know it."

Isa felt the same way. Not that he didn't have any acquaintances, but his cold demeanor and serious face usually put off a lot of people. This boy wasn't bothered in the slightest. Rising from his seat, he crossed his arms and remarked, "Can I use the door, though?"

"Sissy." Lea sprang athletically through the window and with a smile; the blue haired teen exited his dormitory and locked the door behind him.

Meeting Lea just outside the Observatory—the big, shiny silver telescope was angled towards the sky as always—he followed the flame colored boy throughout the winding streets of Radiant Garden. Whereas Isa didn't know all of the twists and turns, it was as if Lea knew them by heart. He weaved through the crowds, talking all the while, his swift eyes moving everywhere. Maybe searching for the strange "chasers".

_I_ really_ hope he didn't steal something_, thought Isa to himself.

A slanted white marble road took the duo up to a clock tower. Not as elaborate as the one perched on Radiant Garden's castle where Ansem the Wise dwelled, but tall enough to offer a magnificent view of the city and everything within it. The structure was composed of brown and pink stones with a pale gold face and squiggly black hands.

"Poor thing, you see, once that _monstrosity_ was built over there," Lea jerked his thumb towards the castle's clock tower. "It's been neglected. But I like this clock better, it's all…"

"Homey?" Isa suggested sarcastically.

"Something like that. Sit here and I'll be back in a heartbeat!" Lea was gone before Isa could object, and sighing, the teen let his legs hang over the edge and he wondered how he got into this mess.

The clock tolled four, but only the one on the castle.

It occurred to Isa that Lea knew more about him than he knew about the boy. All he knew for sure about Lea was his name, in all honesty. True to his word, the teen in question returned quickly. He handed Isa a light blue Popsicle stick, sitting down beside him with one leg drawn up to his chest.

"What flavor is this? I've never seen it."

"Old duck named Scrooge made it. Sea Salt Ice Cream. Give it a try!" Lea bit into it without hesitation, and after a short pause, Isa did the same.

He almost spat it back out, the salt coating his tongue, but then it became almost unbearably sweet. "Gawhg!" Isa coughed incoherently. Lea thumped him on the back until his throat cleared.

"Don't like it?"

"It's…unique." He remarked. Taking smaller bites, he found it tolerable. "Lea, where are you from?"

"Here. There. Everywhere," he shrugged carelessly.

"Don't you_ live_ somewhere?"

"'Course I do. My old man is probably wonderin' where I am, but he's loose hanging on the rules."

Isa figured from his tone that his mother wasn't in the picture. He could be wrong, but he wouldn't pry. He decided to just sit here in the setting sun's light—it was fall, and the sun descended earlier—with his newfound companion.

"Say, Isa…what about you and me be best friends forever?" Lea said suddenly.

Isa, for once, didn't need to think about it. "It's a deal. Someone needs to protect you from those nasty chasers."

"Yeah, no one needs to suffer the loss of a face as handsome as mine."

"We could certainly suffer the loss of your vanity."

"Oh, wise guy, are you?"

Isa felt himself laughing again, so easily, with this boy he had just met. Lea just did that, melted the ice that was around him. Or thawed a bit.

When their amusement had subsided, Lea asked in an unexpectedly serious tone, "Isa?"

"Yes?"

"We're friends; it's a promise, right?"

"Of course." Isa replied slowly, trying to see where he was going with this.

"Then you should know. It's not important how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other."

Studying Lea's serious expression, Isa felt a strange spark of humor spring up. A need to break the sudden tension. "And what fortune cookie is that from?" He gave a small, crooked smile.

Lea huffed and crossed his arms, smiling, blue-green eyes twinkling, and Isa chuckled softly.

As the flaming sun dipped down on the horizon, an early crescent moon crept into the sky, so the two celestial objects existed side by side.

Even if only for a minute.

~***~  
**_Symbolic ending. Can you see it? Sort of obvious._**

**_Anyway. Sorry if this is atrociously OOC or something. My bad. But I wanted to write this for fun. Also, I might turn this into a one-shot collection if I like it enough. Or other people do._**

**_So. Drop a review, will you? _**


End file.
